Joel Robuchon (Menu Degustation)

La Cerise
Cherry gazpacho with sheep ricotta and pistachios

Our first course arrives – a cheerful, vivid red, soup made with cherries! I love the sweet, tart, and bright flavors of the fruit in this unique gazpacho. It’s velvety, super smooth, and intense in flavor. I slowly savor each bite, not wanting it to end.

La Coriandre
Duo of creamy avocado and coriander on spiced tomato pulp

This second dish is truly a creative combination of flavors inspired from Mexican cuisine. I like how the almonds add a definitive crunch to the otherwise smooth and creamy dish.
 
Le Caviar
Green asparagus with lemon balm, chilled veloute with panna cotta, maki of thin couscous

Next is a trio inspired by asparagus and caviar. Bryan doesn’t really like asparagus, but even he concedes that the asparagus dishes are incredible. In fact, they turn out to be among his favorite of the evening!  Every single element of each dish is thoughtfully designed, meticulously executed, and exquisitely displayed. The chilled veloute is our favorite of the bunch, infused with a pronounced yet subtle asparagus essence and topped with caviar. Seriously perfection on a plate.

La Noix de Saint Jacques
Seared scallop, heart of palm scented coconut milk

I am amazed at the intricate cutting skills involved in creating the perfect micro-cubes of carrots and celery on top of the scallop. This slightly seared scallop comes together with the coconut milk to form a beautiful melange of flavors – a perfect balance of savory umami, creamy sweetness, and herbaceous overtones.

Les Févettes 
Savory scented fava bean cream with sweet onion foam

I love fava beans, so it’s no surprise that I savor every spoonful of the sweet, frothy “cream” soup that comes next. It reminds me almost of an elegant cappuccino, in some ways.

Les Crustacés 
Truffled langoustine ravioli, roasted lobster in broth, “chaud-froid” of sea urchin on fennel potato puree with anise orange

The next trio focuses on shellfish prepared a variety of ways. You see incorporation of elements presented earlier in the meal, such as asparagus and caviar. I always have loved the sweetness of langoustines, and this is no exception. The single bite of the truffled ravioli is absolutely delicious, as are the other two entrees. I’m typically not a huge uni fan (unless if I’m in Japan), but even I admit that this sweet puree is a nice way of preparing this delicacy.

Le Turbot 
Turbot and artichoke cooked in cocotte, barigoule jus

The turbot is good, although it does not stand out to me in the same way as some of the other dishes. Perhaps it’s because I’m getting a bit full?
La Courgette
Slowly cooked zucchini with fresh almonds, bacon and curry

I must be a sucker for vegetarian dishes, because I absolutely love this next dish. I’ve always enjoyed cooked nuts, so it’s no surprise that I really like the textural crunch of the fresh almonds in the dish. The various elements in this dish are cut to roughly the same size, yet each has its own unique texture. A perfectly fried zucchini flower and a thoughtfully placed shallot ring complete the gorgeous presentation of this dish.

Le Veau 
Sautéed veal chop with natural jus and pesto vegetable taglierinis

We then receive an absolutely perfectly cooked piece of veal served alongside the most interesting vegetable noodles!The meat is tender, juicy, and ever-so-flavorful. The noodles are whimsical, fun, and delicious as well.

Le Soja 
Risotto of soybean sprouts, lime zest and chives 

“Le Soja”, this next soybean dish, really stands out in my mind because it is so unusual. Soy bean sprouts are chopped to resemble rice. This mixture is then cooked somehow so that the final produce really does rmind you of risotto. The individual “rice” grains still retain a bit of the crunch from the bean sprouts, yet the dish as a whole is creamy and rich full of umami. The pistachios on top add a nice, textural component to the dish.

La Mangue 
Layered mango variations, strawberry gelee, almond cake

Desserts arrive like pieces of art, with almost every dish incorporating some elements of gold!

Le Caramel 
Caramel parfait, hazelnut marjolaine, chocolate sauce

Happy Anniversary!

Because it is our anniversary, they bring over a crazy special cake!

Yum! It’s a multi-layered ice cream cake!

Just in case you haven’t had your complete share of sugar yet, they then roll out the mignardises cart! Yikes!

You can choose to try anything. It’s totally up to you! Even though I am tempted to sample everything, I know my stomach can’t handle it, so I just chose five.
And of course, Joel Robuchon always gives the ladies something to take home . . .

What could it be?

A lovely poundcake! To be honest, I liked the box of chocolates I got last time better. Nevertheless, its’ always fun to be able to bring something home! There was also a typed up scroll with the menu printed on top, as well as a colored booklet with pictures of all the dishes we had just enjoyed.

Happy 10 years! Here’s to many, many more decades together.

Note – if you want more details about the restaurant in general, definitely check out the first post I wrote on this restaurant back in 2010. Much of what I wrote about in that post still stands, with just the prices changing a bit since last time.

Related posts:
Joel Robuchon (4-course tasting menu)
The Las Vegas Eating Guide

This is part 7 (the final post) of a larger Series The Vegas Anniversary. Other posts in this series:
Carnevino
Lotus of Siam
Sushi Samba
Bouchon Bistro (lunch)
Aureole
Lee’s Sandwiches

Joel Robuchon
MGM Grand
3799 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 891-7925

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